The Ancient Buddha closed his eyes for a moment. The remaining golden lotuses in the pond seemed to be brushed by an invisible force, stopping their further wilting but also ceasing to revive, maintaining a fragile balance.
He slowly opened his mouth, his voice no longer just ringing in their ears, but striking directly at their Souls.
"How so?"
The Ancient Buddha repeated the question, and in his hand appeared a beautiful golden Udumbara flower, the edges of its petals tinged with an extremely faint grey.
He gently placed it in the Void Realm before him. The flower floated, its grey hue and golden light contending with each other.
"The kalpa has arrived early; there is a sound of change."
His voice was peaceful, yet every word was like a bell, ringing in the hearts of the Bodhisattvas and Arhats:
"A single leaf foretells autumn; a single lotus reveals the kalpa. The myriad lotuses in the pond were not directly affected by that Great Heavenly Demon, but rather sensed the shared Karma of shock, terror, doubt, and fear in the hearts of the boundless sentient beings of this realm, thus manifesting their withered state."
"Now that we see the lotuses wither, we should first observe ourselves. Has a layer of that dust of shock and terror also covered the mirrors of our hearts?"
A Bodhisattva with the most worried expression clasped his hands and pressed the question:
"Buddha, since you know the Karma, how should we act? Must we merely watch as the kalpa overflows?"
The Ancient Buddha had crossed the Chaos after ancient times and had been preaching in the Immortal Realm for tens of millions of years.
The Ancient Buddha raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the grand hall, seeing the calamities of the future timeline, and perhaps even deeper things.
"The Lingxu Immortal Domain, this place is widely implicated, it should be the beginning of the calamity... We may witness many things."
"Witness?"
An Arhat was puzzled.
"Witness the birth and death of Destiny, witness... how a potentially existing 'variable' responds to this 'constant'. If that variable can break through the first giant wave of the kalpa, then it will be a great aid for us to ferry all sentient beings..."
The Ancient Buddha paused, and the Buddha light around him, for the first time, actively became extremely dazzling.
"If the variable does not appear, it proves that the intensity of this calamity far exceeds expectations. At that time, the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Buddha Pure Lands, and the boundless worlds will all need to rise up, face the end, and seek that sliver of life in annihilation."
"Where the Buddha light shines, all sentient beings who aspire to good, regardless of race, can receive temporary protection."
With that, the Ancient Buddha ceased speaking, lowered his eyes once more, and entered a deeper meditative state, seemingly still deducing the various changes of the future.
It was not only the Buddhist Sect; in the Immortal Realm, from the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace to the Human Race kingdoms and the Primordial Ancient Remnants, the entire Immortal Realm was enveloped by the shadow of doom rising from the depths of the Demon Domain.
Panic spread, Battle Intent condensed, and ancient alliances were remembered anew in the undercurrents.
Land of Reincarnation.
The Nether Lord smiled. The great calamity had begun, and this was also his opportunity. He had waited for this moment for far too long. His only regret was that Su Ming, this chess piece, seemed to have transcended his control.
That existence in the Lingxu Heavenly Palace, he could not see through, nor did he wish to provoke.
Myriad Manifestations Divine Dynasty, Myriad Manifestations Hall.
Lu Fan was reviewing memorials. The Luck of the Divine Dynasty enveloped him, casting a faint purple-gold glow around his body. Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he looked towards the sky. Just now, the manifestation of the Great Heavenly Demon had caused a profound terror, originating from the depths of his Soul, to engulf him without warning, as if in the next moment, the kingdom he guarded, his people, and even his own existence, would be swallowed by an irresistible grey shadow.
"The Demon Race actually has such an existence..."
Lu Fan laboriously raised his head, looking in the direction of the Lingxu Immortal Domain, his fingers turning white at the knuckles from the force.
"Is this... is this the beginning of the catastrophe you foresaw?"
Just a wisp of aura manifesting had already shaken the Human Race's Luck. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his Dao Heart trembling.
He couldn't imagine what kind of pressure the Lingxu Heavenly Palace, being close to the Demon Domain, would have to endure then... Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, in a Dao field within the Chaos.
Several ancient existences, who had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs and whose forms were in harmony with the Dao, were awakened from their deep comprehension of the Great Dao.
Streams of consciousness intertwined in the Chaos.
"A variable, a variable... who will emerge this time?"
"Is the chess game of the Immortal Realm about to be overturned?"
"Interesting..."
...Lingxu Heavenly Palace.
The beings of the Lingxu Immortal Domain were naturally the most deeply affected by the aura of the Great Heavenly Demon's awakening.
In the Lingxu Heavenly Palace, spirit birds flew in alarm, plants slightly withered, and even the flowing clouds seemed to stagnate, covered by an invisible grey haze.
A great terror, like the sky collapsing and the end of the world approaching, seized the hearts of many.
Lingxu Heavenly Palace, Heavenly Fate Meridian.
Some Disciples who were sparring in the cultivation arena suddenly had their sword moves go awry, their spiritual Qi inexplicably stagnating, almost injuring themselves; Disciples in seclusion for meditation suddenly felt the characters on their Jade Slips twist and blur, and a chill arose in their Dao Heart.
"What's going on?"
"What kind of divine being from the Demon Domain is this? Just this aura makes my Divine Soul tremble, as if I've fallen into an ice cave..."
"Such... such a terrifying feeling, as if something is watching us, wanting to devour everything..."
Panic, like ink dripping into clear water, quickly spread among these lower-Cultivation Cultivators.
Their Cultivation was still shallow, and they had no understanding of existences at the level of a Great Heavenly Demon, but the fear originating from their life instincts was incredibly real. Just as the unease was about to spread, a steady voice rang out, clearly reaching the ears of every Disciple.
"Silence."
Su Ming's voice sounded:
"It's merely an extraterrestrial great demon awakening, a mere ripple."
Su Ming's voice was calm, as if stating a trivial matter,
"The Lingxu Heavenly Palace has many Old Ancestors in command. All laws are inviolable, and all evils retreat. Do not harbor fear."
His words seemed to possess magic, gradually calming the commotion.
"Master once said that the path of Cultivation prioritizes Heart-Nature above all else. Billions of external demons cannot compare to a single clear thought within the heart."
An older Core Disciple whispered, his eyes gradually regaining clarity.
"That's right, if the sky falls, the Old Ancestors will hold it up! Why are we panicking?"
Another Disciple clenched his fists, color returning to his face.
Seeing everyone return to calm, Su Ming also breathed a sigh of relief.
But no one expected that Su Ming, whose Cultivation had already reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, was also dripping with cold sweat down his back.
Su Ming looked towards the Myriad Phenomena Garden with worry in his eyes, secretly pondering in his heart:
"Senior Brother, what should we do?"
At this moment, even those in the Myriad Phenomena Garden grew nervous.
This kind of anomaly was clearly different from before.
"The emergence of such a great demon from the Demon Race seems to foreshadow something."
Jiang Hao's eyes flickered with brilliance, wanting to deduce the heavenly secrets, but he couldn't see anything clearly.
The future was a blur.
"Master hasn't said anything, so let's just focus on our Cultivation."
Lin Potian was the calmest, feeling that there shouldn't be any major problems.
"Cough cough, I also believe in Master. Anyway, when the Demon Race attacks, I'll just follow Master."
Little Bai suddenly ran over to interject, primarily advocating for going with the flow. It wasn't flustered at all. With Han Xuanji's abilities, even if he couldn't win, couldn't he at least escape?
At that time, it would just follow along and everything would be fine.
Of course, it would be best if they didn't have to leave.